Mesa Cemetery tour tickets available now

Oct. 19—The Mesa Historical Museum is offering folks a chance to mix Halloween and history.

The annual tour of the city's historic cemetery will be held 8-10 a.m. next Saturday, Oct. 22, and tickets are on sale at the museum's website, mesahistoricalmuseum.com or by emailing info@mesamuseum.org.

Mayor John Giles and Councilman Mark Freeman will be among the guests narrators at a selection of grave sites during the self-guided walking tour.

"This year we are featuring Waylon Jennings and Vans Auditorium founder John Vance as a complement to our Early Entertainment in Mesa exhibit we just opened in August," museum Executive Director Susan Ricci said. "We are also honoring the first African-American councilman Jerry Boyd, Pedro Guerrero and Susie Sato to name a few."

Established in 1891, the cemetery at 1212 N. Center St. is the final resting place for a number of well-known Mesa and Valley celebrities and historical figures among the 38,000 interments.

Among the most visited gravesites is that of Waylon Jennings, the legendary musician who pioneered the outlaw movement in country music.

Jennings' black stone grave marker, with a picture of his smiling face, stands out from the others in its row. It's larger, and one of the more decorated ones in the row.